Tongue-support



(No Model.)

T. C. CHURCHMAN TQNGUB SUPPORT.

,y se.- /NvE/vro my l 1 .@ffmwww? 'Arron/Veys UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS CURTIS -CHURCHMAI OF SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA.

TONGUE-SUPPORT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 456,018, dated July 14, 1891.

Application led December l1, 1890. Serial No. 374,280. (No model.)

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LTHoMAs CURTIs CHURCH- MAN, of Sacramento, in the county of Sacramento and State of California, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tongue- Supports for Vehicles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to a tongue-support f or vehicles, and has for its object to provide a simple and durable device capable of ap-` plication to anylvehicle, and Which Will cushion the tongue and render the movement of the same easy when the vehicle is passing over rough ground, and which will also practically relieve the horses of the weight of the tongue.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claim. f

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters and gures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a ceutralvertical section through a portion of the'running-gear of a vehicle, the said section being taken on the line Qc of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the forward hounds and the tongue, illustrating the application of the device; and- Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line yy of Fig. 2.

The tongue l0 is pivoted between the I hounds 11 by means of a bolt l2 in the usual manner. Above the bolt 12 a rod 13 is located parallel with the bolt, the ends of the rod being confined to the hounds by means of staples let or their equivalent.

The tongue-support A is preferably constructed of a single piece ot' spring-wire, which wire is bent upon itself to form two members, and in each member a coill is made, the said coils being adapted to pass around the pivot-pin 12 of the tongue, as best illustrated in Fig. A2. The forward doubled end of the tongue-support is curved upward to engage with the lower face ot' the tongue, and the ends of the wire constituting the rear of the support have a bearing against the under face of the axle 16. The rod 13 passes through both of the coils 15, and serves thereby as a support for the device, holding it in proper position'and the forward end at all times against the tongue.

It will be observed that as the device is constructed of spring material yit forms a cushion for the tongue, and that when the vehicle passes over rough or uneven ground the tongue is` prevented from chafing the horses. The device is made suicientl y strong to almost entirely support the tongue in a slightly upwardly-inclined posit-ion. thus relieving the team almost entirely from the weight of the tongue.

The rod 13 may be made of half-round instead of round metal, and its position may loe shifted nearer the front or rear than shown in the drawings, if desired.

Having thus described my invention, I claiml as new and desire. to secure by Letters Patent- Y The combination, with the hounds of a vehicle, the axle, a tongue pivoted between the hounds, and a rod located above a pivot-pin of the tongue, the ends of which rod are secured to the hounds, of a support consistl ing of a spring-rod bent upon itself to form two coils extending around the pivot of the tongue and the rod above the pivot, an upwardly-inclined forward U-shaped member engaging with the lower face of the tongue, and a forked rear member engaging with the under face of the axle substautiallyas and for the purpose specid- THOMAS CURTIS CHURCHMAN. Vitnesses:

S. SoLoN HOLL, R. WooDs. 

